Maynooth dig deep to qualify for SFC quarter-finals
Maynooth's Ciaran Flanagan tries to barge past Carbury's Brian Milmoe
Maynooth had to dig deep before gaining a win that secures a place in the Joe Mallon Motors Senior Football Championship quarter-finals A brilliant Matthew Diamond two-pointer in the opening minute set them on their way and they led by 0-6 to 0-1 after 11 minutes.
Carbury, led by Eoin Cully, grew into the game but a second two-pointer by Diamond and the last two points of the half by the excellent Paddy Mahoney and Niall O’Sullivan left Maynooth 0-10 to 0-6 ahead at half time.
That lead was wiped out within nine minutes of the restart after two pointers by Tommy Gill, introduced with a heavily strapped right thigh at half time, and Cully.
Mahoney nudged Maynooth back into the lead with a close range but Carbury took the lead for the first time in the 47th minute when a slaloming and pacy run by Cully ended with him firing past Mark Donnellan.
Cully then added a point a minute later and it seemed that the game was decisively turning in Carbury’s favour, with a 1-11 to 0-11 lead.
The decisive moment of the game came with a goal in the 51th minute by Maynooth substitute Kevin Dononvan that levelled the game.
From there, they were able to take control and Mahoney scored three in a row before Donovan completed the scoring in injury time.
It’s a second win of the Championship for Ross Glavin’s Maynooth and they are already assured of their place in the last eight before they face Sarsfields in Round 3 in a gem that will decide who tops Group B.
Mark Donnellan; Cathal Quinn, Niall O‘Sullivan 0-1, Sean Mahon, Aaron Mahoney, Liam McDonald 1-0, Callum McCabe; Ciaran Flanagan, Matthew Diamond 0-5 (1tp, 1tpf); Alex Tilly, Sean Hever, Conor O’Grady, Chris Canning 0-1, Paddy Mahoney 0-6 (3fs), Paul Maguire. Subs: Kevin Donovan 1-1 for Canning, 39; Conor Walsh for A Mahoney, 50; Paddy Ryan for Maguire, 51; Cillian Geraghty for Hever, 60+3.
Declan Conroy; Dean Cummins, Willie Groome, Brian Milmoe, Justin Reilly, Brian O’Flaherty, Paul Fleming; James Carey, Alan Kearney; Evan Boyle, Eoin Cully 1-7 (1tp, 2fs), Ben Kearney, JP Gill, Aaron O’Neill 0-1, Jack Smyth 0-1. Subs: Tommy Gill 0-2 (1tp) for Milmoe, h/t; Oisin Milmoe for Gill, 46; Mark Cully for Fleming, 49; Michael Gill for B Kearney, 60.
Ken Doyle
